When Clorinda Campagna found a dead deer dumped on Gypsy Hill Road near her home off of Sharp Park Road last year, she was really upset. She called the Pacifica Police Department, City of Pacifica's Department of Public Works, and the Peninsula Humane Society for assistance, but no one would remove the dead deer because it was on private property.

"The County and cities -- Pacifica in this case -- fund what we believe is a good level of animal control services for San Mateo County residents, but they don't fund everything and removal of dead wildlife on private property is not included in contracted services," said PHS spokesperson Scott Delucchi.

In the end, "someone came and took the dead deer away," Campagna says. "To this day, I don't know who. That deer just disappeared, even after the SPCA and Public Works said they couldn't dispose of it for me, someone came on this hill, took that deer, and it was gone."

Still, when it comes to disposing of dead wildlife, private property owners in Pacifica like Campagna are on their own.

"The Humane Society will not remove deceased animals from private property, but will refer callers to companies which provide that service," said Pacifica Police Capt. Joe Spanheimer.

Residents and business owners, however, are allowed to place small, dead animals like birds, squirrels, and gophers found on their private property in a bag for their regular garbage pickup, according to the San Mateo County Health System.

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Larger animals like deer found on private property cannot be placed in the garbage but residents and business owners can bring the animals to the Peninsula Humane Society/SPCA for disposal or call an animal removal company for a fee.

"It would have cost me $200 to $400 to pay someone to pick up a dumped dead deer on my private property," said Campagna, "even though I'm a taxpayer, there's not one service that could have helped me."

However if an animal is found dead on public property or is "sick, injured, loose or vicious," both the Peninsula Humane Society and the Pacifica Police Department can be called in to help.

According to the Pacifica Police Department, the dispatch receives on average about two to three various animal-related calls per day whether it's a loose dog, road kill or mountain lion sighting.

"We've had several unusual animal-related calls at the Pacifica Police Department," said Spanheimer.

The most noteworthy was several years ago when a herd of goats were wandering about Sharp Park Road.

"A property owner had been using the goats for vegetation control but the goats got loose," he said.

Residents can always call the police about animal-related issues but "if we don't handle the call ourselves, callers will be referred to the appropriate agency," said Spanheimer.

For example if a resident sees a loose dog, "we can locate and possibly detain the animal," he said. "The public's safety and the welfare of the dog is a priority."

The police station does have a small kennel to hold animals until the Humane Society can respond.

"If an animal is contained, and there's no threat to the public's safety or the animal's welfare, the Human Society can be called directly," said Spanheimer.

The Peninsula Humane Society & SPCA is accustomed to assisting residents and business owners with animals that are in distress whether wild or domestic animals. The SPCA gives local residents solutions to their urban wildlife conflicts and extends its services to sick, injured and orphaned wildlife.

"As a humane society, we are happy to be everything for everybody when it comes to animal issues," said Delucchi, "but we also fully understand that cities and the County have many areas of responsibility, budgetary restrictions and must prioritize."

Freeway and highway pick-ups of all dead animals are handled by Caltrans.

Dead marine mammals can be reported to California Academy of Sciences' marine mammal hotline, according to Sue Pemberton, Curatorial Assistant in the department of Ornithology & Mammalogy at The California Academy of Sciences. For marine life in distress, people can call The Marine Mammal Center's 24-hour reporting line.

"The California Academy of Sciences responds to and collects data from all dead marine mammals in the San Francisco Bay Area, north to Mendocino and south to Santa Cruz county lines," said Pemberton. "As species protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, all marine mammals, dead and alive, are protected. Harassing any live marine mammals is punishable by fine, and being in possession of any marine mammal part without permits is forbidden by federal law."

When it comes to mountain lion sightings, they are "somewhat common throughout the Bay Area, especially near wooded areas," said Spanheimer.

Within the last couple of weeks, the Pacifica Police Department received five calls about mountain lion sightings, according to the police log.

If a resident sees a mountain lion, Spanheimer recommends calling the police to report it and to consider these tips from California State Parks:

 Do not attempt to approach a lion. Most lions will avoid confrontation. Give them away to escape.

 Stay calm and face the lion. Do not run, because this may trigger the lion's instinct to attack. Try to appear larger by raising your arms and opening your jacket.

 Pick up small children so they don't panic and run. Avoid bending over or crouching.

 If the lion approaches or acts aggressively, shout and throw branches or whatever can be obtained without turning your back or bending over.

 Fight back if attacked. A good walking stick can be useful in warding off a lion. Because a mountain lion usually tries to bite the head or neck, try to remain standing and face the attacking animal.

If you see an animal that's in distress or deceased in Pacifica, here's who to call: